Simmons hopes injection helps make foot whole again
Already declared out for the season with a foot injury, Ben Simmons Monday underwent a procedure to advance his recovery. He is likely to resume “normal training by the end of the week,” the Sixers said.
The No. 1 overall pick in the last draft has not played this season after being injured early in training camp. According to the Sixers, bone marrow was injected into his healing fracture site to “stimulate bone growth and accelerate healing.”
Bryan Colangelo, the team president, says he’s not shocked by the lengthy recovery.
“It has been a disappointment more than a surprise,” he said. “Every athlete or every human heals differently. We felt like we followed that same planned progression. The healing did not occur.
“The scans most recently showed that although there was improvement, it wasn’t enough and it wasn’t fully healed. And without full healing, we don’t want to put him out on the court. Bone morrow injection is simply a means of trying to stimulate bone growth and develop a stronger bone.”
So why did the Sixers wait until the end of February to order the procedure?
“That’s a great question,” Colangelo said. “And some things are discussed — options, plans, alternatives. It was decided in conjunction with consultation with doctors, with the agent, with the player himself, that it was not desired at that time. At this point, given where we are in the healing process, we all felt that it was time. When you have that consensus and it’s the right thing to do, then you move forward.”
*** With Joel Embiid out “indefinitely” with swelling and soreness in his injured knee, Brett Brown will react in the usual way.
“I think you just roll along,” he said before the Sixers-Warriors game Monday. “You go with Jahlil (Okafor) and you go with Richaun (Holmes), and then maybe Tiago (Splitter) is going to be around the corner. Then we’ll learn more about the path Joel is on . ... It’s just done with a different skill package. We’re going to play hard. Jahlil’s skill package is a little different from Joel’s. I don’t see it changing dramatically.”
*** NOTES >> Jerryd Bayless, limited to three games this season due to a wrist injury, is scheduled to have a cast removed next week. He had surgery three months ago. The Sixers said he will undergo “targeted wrist therapy and rehabilitation.” ... Splitter, out all season with a hip injury that has affected both his knee and calf, is receiving treatment on his calf and is out “indefinitely”, the Sixers said. He was recently acquired in the trade that sent Ersan Ilyasova to Atlanta . ... Acquired in the deal that sent Nerlens Noel to Dallas, veteran Andrew Bogut was waived Monday by the Sixers. He is expected to sign with a contender. Said Brown: “I spoke with him at length. His goals aren’t sort of aligned with ours. He really feels, and I agree with him, that he wants to go play with a playoff team at this stage of his career, and make an impact. I respect his candidness. I would have liked to have had him. He’s a hard, hard type of defensive-type, bluecollar player.”